Single-channel antenna?

[Hondaman]

Recently I switched from my Gray-Hoverman to the Antennas Direct ClearStream 4 MAX. Seems to work about as well as the old G-H in my attic (one-story ranch home), but the Antennas Direct unit can be mounted outside on my chimney if desired.

I should mention that I was also using a 29-inch "T" shaped antenna for RF channel 11. I know you're not supposed to use TWO antennas unless they have the same length coaxial cable going into your combiner (and even then there might be problems). So I made sure the cables were equal length.

Years ago I made a "T" shaped antenna for RF channel 11, where the top of the "T" was 37.65 centimeters, a "quarter-wave" antenna. Worked well but it had to be pointed PRECISELY perpendicular to the transmitter or the signal would drop off SHARPLY. So when I made the Gray-Hoverman and the "T" for 199/200 MHz (WHAS, Louisville KY) I made it 75 cm (half-wave, 29 inches). It was MUCH more robust when turned a little, but of course I kept it pointed DIRECTLY at the tower anyway.

Now that I have the store-bought antenna, I am getting a DREADFUL (basically zero) signal on RF channel 8 (180-186 MHz here in the US). I thought I'd make a "T" shaped antenna with exact dimensions. so for 183 MHz, the top of the "T" should be 1.6382 meters.

If I use equal length coaxial cables again, and I get bad results, I can always remove the "T", use the store-bought antenna by itself, and just never watch WBNA 21 (RF channel 8).

Can I make the top of the "T" double the length? 3.2764 meters? Any ideas?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

[Hondaman]

Okay. I tried several different combinations of one antenna and two antennas. I did keep in mind that a two-antenna setup requires EQUAL length coaxial cables going from the antenna to the combiner. I was thinking about posting every single result, but now I think that would be boring.

NOTE: There are some errors in the post above. One station in my town is at 181-186 MHz (RF channel 8), and another station is at 199-204 MHz (RF channel 11).

CONCLUSION: Basically, combining two antennae up in my attic always gave me worse results than one antenna by itself. The Antennas Direct Clear Stream 4 MAX (from my local Best Buy) gives the best results, when used by itself. It is pointed at the towers on Knob Creek Hill (4.2 miles away), outside of New Albany, Indiana. The "T" shaped antenna works well for the 180-184 MHz station when placed in my living room, but HORRIBLY in my attic (USA asphalt roof shingles versus living room window). I don't want to use a 5-foot or 10-foot "T" antenna, fastened to a piece of lumber, one meter off the floor in my living room, just to enjoy one station. The 180-184 MHz station put their antenna down by the Louisville, KY airport, further complicating matters. And the station is owned by a church, which probably will never have the money to move their transmitter up on the hill with the rest of the transmitters. Besides, last week I bought a ROKU ULTRA (11th generation), and I have fiberoptic internet. So free stuff on Roku, delivered through the internet, will easily make up for the 180-184 MHz station that I really could never receive very well anyway.

I might be able to do better if I put the Clear Stream MAX 4 on my chimney, but I don't wish to figure out how to get the coaxial cable in from the roof. What I have is the best solution I can have with an antenna in my attic (one-story ranch home). Combined with the ROKU Ultra and a large DVD collection, I have quite a bit of free entertainment now.

And if you combine two antennae, you will likely have poor results unless you are an amateur (or professional) radio or TV engineer.

[CapLeaker]

Overseas they had multiple antennas on the roof. You get cables easily inside with a rubber boot, a pipe and a weather head. That’s what I got.
Back to the antennas… they were single channel antennas, fed with 75ohm coax, on the bottom of the mast / pipe was a multi channel amplifier and a combiner splitter so all the channels (9) were available to watch in bedrooms, living room, basement living room etc.

[Hondaman]

My previous post is the one I wanted to end with, but now there is an update. The 12-inch coaxial cable from my wall to the splitter has a problem. One end wishes to come apart easily. When I pulled the cable out of the wall connector to install a "5G filter" last week, the end of the coax came apart. When I jam the connector back together, or use another 12-inch piece of coaxial cable, the weak station (180-185 MHz with the antenna down by the Louisville, KY airport) is now fairly strong.

(The splitter sends one signal to the "Zapperbox" ATSC 3.0 device, and the other to the Toshiba D-R550 DVR unit, which then sends it to my Toshiba 39.4-inch television.)

Was the cable FIRMLY plugged into the wall for the last 10 years? Was the cable loose and causing problems for the last 10 years? Did it come loose AFTER I experimented with different antennae in my attic a few weeks ago? We will never know. But the Antennas Direct "ClearStream Max 4" is good. I did NOT get $30 off at Best Buy, which was advertised. Perhaps the lower price was an internet-only price. But I have good results and the project is finished.

And last month I bought a ROKU device. You cannot go to roku dot com and watch programming like going to youtube dot com. But with the Roku device, Roku delivers lots of free programming, with commercial advertising, through my high-speed internet. And I can use it to sign up for other streaming services ("Peacock", "Paramount Plus", etc) available here in the US.

(If Roku is built in to your television, it is often cheap a Wal-Mart television that fails quickly. My stand-alone Roku is about as large as 2 packs of cigarettes lying next to each other, and sends programming to the HDMI port of my 18 year old "dumb" TV.)

Thank you for your time and attention !